Chapter 6

The party progressed through the evening with nice people in attendance. I got to know Lois’ younger brother though he was older than she. Mark and his wife, Angie, were thinking about starting a family after the first. They seemed nice people and lived on the other side of town. The four of us talked for almost an hour. I got to know them both and liked them. I hoped they liked me. I learned more about Lois, too. I liked what I heard. I knew that she was an elementary school teacher for a school close to her parents’ home. She had been married, which I knew, that had ended in divorce and then his death. I was told she taught advanced placement at the elementary school in the sciences. I quickly realized that my fiancé was a bright lady even more than I had thought before. I kept her close.

I sensed that Lois had been lonely in some ways and was looking for a fresh start. From what Mark and Angie said and suggested, she had some definite ideas about the future and I fit into those plans well. As midnight approached, she and I grabbed glasses of Champaign to toast the new year. The clock chimed, the ball and the peach dropped. We drank a toast to a new, better year. Then, we kissed. That kiss started innocent and simple but quickly became passionate and over-powering. We finally moved our heads apart though continued to hold each other tightly.

We moved apart a little more to take notice of people around us. Fortunately, we hadn’t drawn notice from people in the room. I took Lois’ hand and went to the table with the Champaign and refilled our glasses. I then walked us away from the rest and into a quieter den that was lit but not brightly. I gently pulled her down onto a sofa in the room.

“Lois, that kiss was electrifying again.”

“Did you like it?”

“Yes. I just hadn’t thought to receive it almost every time we kiss. I want to know what you think.”

“I enjoyed it. I do love you, Randy.” She pulled me to her and we kissed again with even more passion. We finally ended the kiss.

Before we stopped the kiss, she was straddling me and we were rubbing together. I had a hand under her sweater palming her breast. We broke the kiss and moved apart a little. I removed my hand from under her sweater. She pretended to pout.

I smiled. “We are moving a bit too far to be in public. There is time for us to become more physical later tonight. Let’s enjoy the party.” She smiled and nodded.

We held each other for a long few minutes before I loosened up and gently said, “We need to reappear or people might stop wondering and know.”

We slowly went out into the rest of the area refilling our glasses as we went.

We separated for a few moments and Mark came up to me. “Take care of my sister, Randy. I can tell you two are working well together.”

“I will, Mark. We want a good fire not something that burns out. We need some time together to learn more about each other though we each know the answer. That’s why we’re engaged and will marry.” Mark smiled and patted my arm.

It was late when we finally left for my condo. We would return in the morning for New Year’s Day.

We arrived at my condo and quickly stripped for bed. Once in bed, we then prayed thanking God for our time together. I slept like the proverbial baby with Lois in my arms.

I woke refreshed and beat the alarm. I watched Lois sleep for a few moments before she woke. “What are you looking at, Randy?”

“My beautiful fiancée, of course.”

We cleaned up and dressed. It was seven forty and we were ready to go fortified with our first cups of coffee. We left for her house. We arrived ten minutes later.

“Randy, we’ll cook breakfast for us and for Mom and Dad. They’ll be up soon.”

We started cooking with me helping but Lois was masterminding the operation. She knew what she was doing and could cook even while she watched over my efforts. As things were coming to a conclusion, she had me set the table in the kitchen and start working the toaster. Her parents came in at that time.

Her dad said, “Good morning, Randy. I see Lois is putting you to work. Fortunately, she’s a pretty fair cook so it shouldn’t be too bad.” He grinned. Missus Copeland gave him “the look.” He ducked grinning.

She said, “Good morning, Randy. It got Lois out of bed with you and cooking.” She grinned. “We could make this a habit.”

Lois blushed. “Mom, Dad, how many pieces of toast do you want? He’s working on that now. I want two, Randy.”

Missus Copeland wanted two also while Mister Copeland wanted three like I did. I toasted and buttered toast until everyone had their request fulfilled. We sat down and Lois and I blessed the meal.

It was a warm, comfortable time and I enjoyed being with Lois and her parents. After the meal, we went into the living room planning to watch the Rose Parade and then some bowl games. I realized in the back of my mind that this warmth was a natural state for Lois and her parents even though her parents weren’t practicing Christians. I also realized that Nadia and Marsha, my ex, were not comfortable people by comparison. Lois was seated next to me on the sofa and was a warm presence physically as well. As I thought about her and compared, she came out well and well ahead. Lois has a good figure, a good head, and a kind heart. I liked where this situation was going. We watched the beautiful floats and whispered to each other telling more of our lives and aspirations.